Providing notice of armed status to Law Enforcement
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Loading ...By Doug Little on May 16, 2008 in AZ CCW Questions, CCW Administrative Rules, Legal Issues
Question: Do the Arizona Revised Statutes require that an Arizona CCW holder advise a Law Enforcement officer of that fact and that he/she is armed?
Answer: There is no requirement under the Arizona Revised Statutes that requires a CCW permit holder to identify the fact that he/she has a permit and is armed during contact with Law Enforcement. However, doing both is a very good idea.
Most police officers are like you and me. They want to do their job well and go home safely at the end of their shift. When they are engaged in a traffic stop, you should understand that this is one of the more dangerous parts of their job. They have no idea who or what is waiting for them in the vehicle they have just stopped. This is particularly true in the Phoenix area where 3 officers have been killed during traffic stops in the last year.
When an officer makes a traffic stop, they are highly alert and watching for criminal behaviors. If you have not volunteered to them that you are a permit holder and are armed and they subsequently determine that you are armed, they will consider that to be ‘bad guy’ behavior and probably treat you as such. On the other hand, if you have notified them right up front, that is generally considered to be ‘good guy’ behavior and things will likely go a lot better.
Please bear in mind that it is perfectly legal for a police officer to request that you surrender your firearm for the duration of the traffic stop. They will return it to you unloaded before they leave.
For the record, if you are directly asked whether or not you are armed, I would suggest you answer truthfully. Telling the truth is ‘good guy’ behavior. Lying is ‘bad guy’ behavior. You can decide how you want to handle it, but personally I would be going for ‘good guy’ status.
